Literally literary fiction that drones on a bit long about everything, but the murdery bits were interesting. This guy really knows how to write freakishly normal monsters.

In the past, have had a love-hate relationship with Bret Easton Ellis' work. I've read most of of his books, because I love how he captures the look and feel, the ennuyé of privileged '80's LA, and in his middle work, 90's New York. But all that nihilism and despair can be too much. I even couldn't finish "Lunar Park" back when it came out.

The Shards is different. I found the story to be riveting and revealing. Easton Ellis is a brilliant writer, and both he and his books have matured since he burst onto the scene with Less than Zero in 1987. In The Shards, he revisits his wild high school days in LA, but with a humility, restraint and self-knowlege that he was not capable of in Less than Zero. He's had a lot of therapy. He's in a stable relationship. He is vulnerable here. He seems to understand his rarified, privileged background.

I recommend this book. It reads like a thriller. It feels real. There was no point where I felt like walking away, because I cared about the characters, and I wanted to find out what happened.

“The Shards” is a gruesome, shocking new novel by Bret Easton Ellis. In the haze of the early 1980s, Bret (in a half-autobiographical, half fiction tale) navigates high school in all of its glory - including elitist classmates, sex, drugs, and cinema.

When a serial killer, The Trawler, shakes up the Los Angeles scene, an intoxicating new classmate Robert Mallory is welcomed into his exclusive school.

This novel truly took me by surprise - admittedly, this being the first of his I have ever read. It kept me flipping through once I made it 1/4 of the way through. My only remark is its length - it can oftentimes ramble.

I really loved the book. It was a little challenging to get into at first cause there were so many characters. But after you got them straight it went smoothly.very long. Really good pace and great plot twists.

As a huge fan of BEE, I was so excited to read this book and I wasn't disappointed! I can see what some reviewers were saying when they made mention that it was too long and repetitive but there is something magical about the way Ellis writes, I could read a book by him twice as long as still be enamored and totally absorbed. What I would consider minutiae in other books is not the case here and there wasn't a word I didn't want to read. The storyline of a serial killer in 1980's L.A. was obviously so intriguing but I found that was really just the backdrop of teenage angst and the love/hate relationships that teens have with each other and life in general, which just happened to play out amongst uber wealthy LA kids who have too much freedom, money, and time on their hands.

I'm actually not totally clear on the whole deal with the Trawler and the ending of this one but I know I loved it.

*This book was graphic in only the way BEE can be (and have me still want to read it) so if you can handle graphic details in both gore and sex, this book is a must read.

Many moons ago, I read a book some of you may have heard about called, American Psycho.
It took approximately 3 pages before I was whisked away into the dark corners of Patrick Bateman’s world. A memorable read in every perfectly twisted way.

Last month, while scanning over titles and authors, I spotted a familiar name attached to a grainy red and black cover. Bret Easton Ellis? New book release January 2023? Oh do tell! Naturally, NetGalley had the nerve to hook me in with words and phrases such as…1980’s. Coming of age.
Circle of friends. Murder. Serial killer. Sign.me.up! And I did. And I dug in. And the excitement lasted about as long as that last sentence.

Here are words/phrases that should have been used; Confusing. Meandering. Over sexed. Way too long.

This 600+ tome may be just what the doctor ordered for BEE fans or for those who enjoy a chunky read with LOTS of grit. It’s most certainly NOT for the faint of heart, or me for that matter. ⭐️⭐️💫

The Shards by Bret Easton Ellis is fiction, but it reads like true crime non-fiction. It's set in 1981 in California, and Bret is in high school with his friends, and there's a serial killer called the Trawler that is terrorizing teenagers. Bret is convinced that he knows who the killer is--the new student at school. The book is extremely well-written, if a little long, but it's explicit and graphic so be sure to check any content warning. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

I will start off by saying that I am a fan of Bret Easton Ellis so I was so excited to get into this one. His writing is always exquisite and this book was no different. I was immediately interested as my husband was a teen in LA during this same time period so as I was reading, I kept telling my husband random parts and he could relate at times for that time period and area. This read like a non-fiction book and was absolutely fantastic. Loved the real, raw feel of it. Easily, a 5 star read!

I am such a huge fan of this author. I have read every book he’s ever written and will continue to do so. His books are so edgy snd he has such a raw quality to this incredible writing. This one was super interesting. I kept trying to figure out if it was fiction or autobiographical and it sounds like it was a bit of both. I was fascinated by the stories as I’m a sucker for the decade of the 80s: I loved the added mystery element of the background of serial killer operating in the area during this time. This was such a fun read for me.

I could not get through this. The premise sounded utterly amazing and I had heard so much about what an incredible writer Ellis is, in addition to listening to an awesome podcast (Once Upon a Time at Bennington College) which made me even more intrigued when this book became available. But, alas, it was not for me.

1. The amount of sex in this book is astronomical, and these are high school seniors.
2. The premise revolves around a serial killer - but I feel that aspect of the novel doesn't really start to play into the plot until at least half way through.
3. None of the characters are particularly likable.
4. The writing and the descriptions were way to repetitive for my taste.

I marked it DNF just over halfway through.

The setting: 1981, Los Angeles. Bret, the seventeen year old protagonist, has been left alone for several months in his parent’s luxurious Mulholland Drive home. Entering his senior year at a prestigious private school, Bret spends his time between school and romping among the playgrounds of the rich. Bret is a popular student, but has a secret. On the outside he’s straight and superficial. On the inside, he’s a closeted homosexual, having sex with two boys at his school. 
Bret becomes increasingly obsessed with a serial killer, named The Trawler, who is terrorizing the city of LA. 
At the beginning of the book, Ellis draws the reader in with his suspenseful and lyrical writing. The story slows down in the middle of the book, and meanders with too much exposition. It’s a long book, at 600 pages. Ellis covers his usual bases of gratuitous violence, explicit sex scenes, drugs, music, and plenty of teenage ennui. Recommend if you’re a fan of Bret Easton Ellis. You won’t be disappointed..

Thank you to A.E. Knopf for providing me with an ARC.

Its 1980’s LA and a serial killer has been targeting rich and privileged high school students. The story, setting and writing almost wanders in the line between alter-reality and I’d expect nothing less from the author of American Psycho!

Bret has introduced himself into this crime story that may have been inspired by true events. Not very disturbing, but very engrossing. This was definitely different than other crime-thrillers that I’ve read with obsession as a central theme. I have not read Less Than Zero, so cannot comment on The Shards being a pre-set for LTZ, also super long story for a thriller.

Thank you Knopf for the gifted ebook!

Doesn't hold a candle to Ellis' older works, overlong and self-indulgent, but still a fairly compelling read.

The shards is so good ! I was hooked . This is fictional but can appear to be nonfiction . The book is set in the 1980s and Brett is the main character .
A new kid joins his group and is interested in finding out why someone would transfer their last year of school.


In background of this story is The Trawler, a serial killer that is targeting, torturing, and killing young women. Bret gets obsessed with the story yet no one else seems to be paying attention.


I like his writing style and was a fan of American predator . I was interested in the plot of the story and where it would go . To me it was interesting from beginning to end.

It was so long. Too long. A lot of repetition and down right exhausting at some points. But it was a good book. I’m really mixed on this particular novel overall because the story was good but it was a lot.

This is the first book I have ever read from this author and after seeing American Psycho in my past I figured it would definitely be risque and graphic. When I discovered that the book was 750 pages, I also knew I was probably in for quite the ride. The book starts out with the author actually alluding to this being part of his past and thus begins a fictional account of his senior year of high school. He is part of a stereotypical popular clique where the drugs flow and the sex is random, rampant, and not gender specific. He feels like an outlier especially once he begins to understand where his sexual drives are leading him. He is technically in a relationship with a girl, however this is really just a cover for his secret life. This book really unravels into obsession and becomes a kind of cousin to true crime in some ways as well. A new student changes the balance and unravels and evolves Bret's life in very powerful ways. This book is extremely graphic and definitely has a strong levels of sexual content so will not appeal to everyone. I quite enjoyed this book. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

Bret Easton Ellis “The Shards”
This story is set on 1981 in Los Angeles, where a high school senior befriends the school’s newest student. This coming of age story isn’t just the usual novel though. The background of this story also looks at how Robert is set on a course to encounter The Trawler, a serial killer who is active in the area. What happens when teenage sex and drugs run into a more dangerous territory.

It’s been about thirteen years since Bret’s last book came out, so this story was much anticipated by fans. It lived up to the disturbing vibe that American Psycho had. I would recommend this book to anyone interested, especially those who enjoy reading about serial killers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Publishing for the ARC of this novel.

Wow the cleaver way Ellis uses 80's references was amazing. You can see the LA streets and hear the music. The story line is excess as is everything Ellis writes and I love it

What a captivating read that was! It’s been ages since I’ve felt so enthralled by a novel. At one point I felt it was a tad too long but ultimately, it was the slow burn vibe of it all that I enjoyed the most. I love how fleshed out each friend and each relationship came across and I especially appreciated the rawness of our young protagonist Bret. Somehow I couldn’t stop hearing Patrick Bateman’s character throughout it all. Great novel!

Bookstagram post & link to come.

Wow. I haven't felt so conflicted about a novel in a long time! Over three weeks since I finished reading Bret Easton Ellis's latest offering and I'm still not entirely sure what I made of it.

Let me start by saying I totally get much of the criticism being lobbed at this novel: it is way too long, gets a bit repetitive, is pretty self indulgent. Yes, yes and... well, yes. But I don't know what it was, there was something strangely mesmeric about the narrative, and despite the constant discomfit I felt whilst reading and the number of times I wondered where it was all going, there was something that kept me going. Things I can be sure of are that the pages flew by, and the 80s LA setting felt incredibly well-evoked. Oh, and that the soundtrack is pretty excellent (I believe someone has made a playlist on Spotify of every song referenced).

If you haven't read anything by BEE, maybe don't start here. But if you've enjoyed his previous work I'd recommend giving this a try!